Bar Association in Bosnia and Herzegovina
In brief:
- The legal profession in Bosnia and Herzegovina is organized at the entity level, through two bar associations: the Bar Association of the Federation of BiH, seated in Sarajevo, and the Bar Association of Republika Srpska, seated in Banja Luka.
- The Bar Association of FBiH consists of five regional bar associations: Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar and BihaÄ.
- The BrÄko District of BiH has no bar association of its own; attorneys seated in the District choose membership in one of the two entity bar associations.
- Legal basis: the Law on Advocacy of the Federation of BiH (Official Gazette of FBiH No. 1/25) and the Law on Advocacy of Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of RS No. 80/15).
- An attorney entered in the directory of attorneys of either bar association in practice represents clients before courts throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The legal profession in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not governed by a single state-level law, but by the regulations of the entities and of the BrÄko District of BiH. This is why the same questions keep coming up in practice: which bar association a particular attorney belongs to, where an entry in the directory of attorneys can be verified, and which tariff applies to the attorney's fee. This page gives an overview of all bar associations in BiH, with their seats, territorial coverage and the regulations on which the work of attorneys is based.
Bar Association of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Bar Association of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the association of all attorneys whose law office or law firm is seated in the territory of the Federation of BiH. The seat of the Association is in Sarajevo, at Obala Kulina bana 6, phone +387 33 848-844. Its work is governed by the Law on Advocacy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of FBiH No. 1/25), which in early 2025 replaced the previous law of 2002, as well as by the Statute of the Association and the Code of Attorneys' Ethics.
Membership is not acquired directly in the federal association: an attorney is entered in the directory of attorneys of the regional bar association covering the seat of their office, and by that entry simultaneously becomes a member of the Bar Association of the Federation of BiH. The Association keeps the directories of attorneys, attorneys' legal associates and attorneys' trainees, decides on entries and disciplinary liability, and represents the legal profession before legislative and judicial institutions.
The attorney's fee in the Federation of BiH is calculated under the Tariff on Attorneys' Fees and Reimbursement of Costs (Official Gazette of FBiH No. 43/25). The attorneys of Law Office Prnjavorac are entered in the directory of attorneys of the Regional Bar Association Tuzla, which also makes them members of the Bar Association of the Federation of BiH, and they represent clients before courts and authorities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Regional bar associations in the Federation of BiH
Five regional bar associations operate within the Bar Association of the Federation of BiH. Each covers one or more cantons, and an attorney is entered in the one covering the seat of their office:
- Regional Bar Association Sarajevo: Sarajevo Canton and Bosnian-Podrinje Canton; seat: RadiÄeva 2, Sarajevo; phone +387 33 553-700.
- Regional Bar Association Tuzla: Tuzla Canton and Posavina Canton; seat: Valtera PeriÄa 10, Tuzla; phone +387 35 274-104.
- Regional Bar Association Zenica: Zenica-Doboj Canton and Central Bosnia Canton; seat: KoÄeva i KoÄevska Äikma 3b, Zenica; phone +387 32 443-240.
- Regional Bar Association Mostar: Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, West Herzegovina Canton and Canton 10; seat: Kralja Zvonimira 17/I, Mostar; phone +387 36 324-664.
- Regional Bar Association BihaÄ: Una-Sana Canton; seat: Nurije Pozderca 2/II, BihaÄ; phone +387 37 228-317.
The contact details above follow the current official publications of the bar associations and may change over time, so verify them with the competent association before visiting or sending mail.
Bar Association of Republika Srpska
The Bar Association of Republika Srpska is an independent and self-governing organization of attorneys whose offices, joint law offices and attorneys' partnerships are seated in the territory of Republika Srpska. The seat of the Association is in Banja Luka, at Federika Garsije Lorke 3, phone +387 51 226-010. Its work is governed by the Law on Advocacy of Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of Republika Srpska No. 80/15).
Unlike the Federation of BiH, this association has no regional bar associations; attorneys are organized through six attorneys' assemblies: Banja Luka, Prijedor, Doboj, Bijeljina, IstoÄno Sarajevo and Trebinje. The Bijeljina attorneys' assembly also covers the territory of the BrÄko District of BiH.
The attorney's fee in Republika Srpska is calculated under the Tariff on Attorneys' Fees and Reimbursement of Costs of Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of RS No. 111/24), applicable since 1 January 2025.
The legal profession in the BrÄko District of BiH
The BrÄko District of BiH has its own legislative, executive and judicial powers, but no bar association of its own. The Law on the Attorneys' Activity in the BrÄko District of BiH provides that attorneys seated in the District are members of the Bar Association of Republika Srpska or of the Bar Association of the Federation of BiH, at their own choice.
In practice this means that attorneys from BrÄko belong to the Regional Bar Association Tuzla (within the FBiH association) or to the Bijeljina attorneys' assembly (within the RS association), and their fee is calculated under the tariff of the association they belong to. More about representation in this area: lawyer in the BrÄko District of BiH.
Courts, prosecutors' offices and legal resources
Alongside the bar associations, the daily work of attorneys revolves around courts and prosecutors' offices, organized at the level of the state, the entities, the cantons and districts, and the BrÄko District of BiH. A complete overview of the courts is available on our page courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For day-to-day work with regulations and court decisions we also maintain a free legal library: the legislation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the case law of the highest courts in BiH.
Frequently asked questions about bar associations in BiH
What is a bar association and what does it do?
A bar association is an independent and self-governing professional organization of attorneys with mandatory membership. It keeps the directories of attorneys, decides on admission to and termination of the right to practice law, conducts disciplinary proceedings, adopts the Statute and the Code of Attorneys' Ethics, and protects the independence of the legal profession. A bar association is not a state authority and does not provide legal aid to citizens: legal assistance is provided by attorneys.
How many bar associations are there in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
There are two entity bar associations: the Bar Association of the Federation of BiH, seated in Sarajevo, and the Bar Association of Republika Srpska, seated in Banja Luka. Five regional bar associations (Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar and BihaÄ) operate within the FBiH association, while the BrÄko District of BiH has no association of its own.
What is the difference between an advokat, an odvjetnik and an attorney at law?
None: these are different names for the same profession. Advokat is the term in Bosnian and Serbian, odvjetnik in Croatian, and both are officially used in the Federation of BiH, while in English the profession corresponds to an attorney at law or lawyer. The same rules, the same directory and the same tariff apply regardless of the name.
How can I verify that an attorney is entered in the directory of attorneys?
Each bar association keeps a directory of attorneys covering all attorneys from its territory. An entry is verified with the competent regional bar association in the Federation of BiH, or with the Bar Association of Republika Srpska, and on request the attorney can also show you the decision on their entry in the directory.
What are the requirements for entry in the directory of attorneys?
The basic requirements are similar in both entities: citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a law degree, a passed judicial exam (pravosudni ispit), a passed attorneys' exam (advokatski ispit) before the bar association and prescribed work experience in legal affairs after the judicial exam (at least two years in the Federation of BiH), along with other statutory requirements such as adequate office premises. In the Federation of BiH the application is filed with the regional bar association, and in Republika Srpska with the Bar Association of Republika Srpska, after which the attorney takes the attorney's oath.
Can an attorney from the Federation of BiH appear before courts in Republika Srpska?
Yes. An attorney entered in the directory of either bar association in Bosnia and Herzegovina in practice represents clients before courts and other authorities throughout the country. Our office, seated in Tuzla, regularly acts before courts in both entities and in the BrÄko District of BiH.
Can a lawyer from Serbia, Croatia or another country appear before courts in BiH?
Not on the basis of a foreign registration alone. The right of audience before courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs to attorneys entered in the directory of one of the bar associations in BiH, while the laws on advocacy provide a special registration or approval procedure for foreign attorneys under prescribed conditions. In practice, clients and foreign law firms engage a local attorney for proceedings before courts in BiH.
Which bar association do attorneys from the BrÄko District of BiH belong to?
Attorneys whose office is seated in the BrÄko District of BiH choose for themselves whether to join the Bar Association of the Federation of BiH or the Bar Association of Republika Srpska, since the District has no association of its own. Within the RS association, the territory of the District is covered by the Bijeljina attorneys' assembly.
Where can I complain about an attorney's conduct?
For breaches of an attorney's duties and of the Code of Attorneys' Ethics, an attorney is subject to disciplinary liability before their bar association. A written complaint is filed with the competent regional bar association in the Federation of BiH, or with the Bar Association of Republika Srpska; it is handled by the association's disciplinary prosecutor and disciplinary court, and the measures range from a reprimand to the loss of the right to practice law.
Under which tariff is the attorney's fee calculated?
The tariff of the bar association the attorney belongs to applies: in the Federation of BiH the attorney tariff of FBiH (Official Gazette of FBiH No. 43/25), and in Republika Srpska the attorney tariff of Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of RS No. 111/24). The final amount depends on the type of action and the value of the matter.
Clients have trusted us since 1993.
Law Office Prnjavorac has been actively working since 1993. Today, in its fourth decade of practice, it has 1,056 Google reviews with a rating of 5.0 / 5 on two independent Google business profiles.
All reviews are public on both profiles, without filtering:
Other Practice Areas of the Office
We provide legal assistance and representation across a broad range of areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
